AUDIO // Five people detained after dozens of searches in case of embezzlement of infrastructure funds

Dozens of searches were carried out today in several town halls in the central, northern and southern regions of the Republic of Moldova, as well as at the headquarters of an economic operator, in a criminal case concerning acts of corruption and embezzlement of funds intended for infrastructure projects financed from national and external sources. Five people were detained for 72 hours and placed in custody.

According to the National Anticorruption Center (CNA), the actions were carried out together with Bălți Prosecutor’s Office, as part of a criminal case targeting the activity of the administrator and several engineers of an economic operator whose bids were declared winners in public procurement procedures organized by several town halls.

The projects concern the construction of water supply and sewerage networks financed from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development, through the National Office for Regional and Local Development (ONDRL), under the national local development program European Village for 2024–2028, 2nd edition.

According to the collected materials, the economic operator allegedly carried out works in localities from the districts of Soroca, Edineț, Glodeni, Sîngerei, Strășeni, Șoldănești, Căușeni and Taraclia. At the stage of provisional and final acceptance of the works, the administrator and the engineers allegedly promised and offered money to members of the acceptance commissions, including employees of the National Inspectorate for Technical Supervision, site supervisors, designers and mayors, in order not to record the nonconformities and to sign the acceptance certificates, although multiple deficiencies allegedly remained unremedied.

Investigators also documented cases of fictitious inclusion, in the execution documents, of certain works that in reality were not carried out, with the documents being submitted for payment to the ONDRL. In another episode, during the rehabilitation of a road damaged following the construction works of a water pipeline, only 84 tons of asphalt were allegedly used out of the total 170 tons required. Also, instead of the designed thickness of 10 centimeters, the asphalt layer was allegedly applied with a variable thickness of approximately 6–8 centimeters, contrary to the technical documentation.

At the same time, the transfer of the sum of 3,500 euros by the company’s administrator to a subordinate was documented; this person allegedly claimed that they could influence employees of the Territorial Labor Inspectorate, the territorial Police Inspectorate and the territorial Prosecutor’s Office in order to prevent the initiation of criminal proceedings in a case concerning the violation of labor protection rules, which resulted in damage to an employee’s eyesight.

Criminal investigation actions are ongoing, and CNA representatives announce that they will return with additional details as the investigation progresses.